Cooling and dispensing apparatus



June 7, 1932. F. T. WIECHERT COOLING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed May 6, 1929 INVENTOR 77mm: T W/scusxr ATTORNEYS is 6 V June 7, 1932. F. T. WIECHERT COOLING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed May 6, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEY$ June 7, 1932. F. T. WIECHERT 1,362,344

COOLING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS v Filed May 6, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet I:

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' ATTORNEYS Patented June 7, 1932 unirso STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK r. .wrnonnnr, or LAKEWOOD, onmassrenon on ONE-HALF T0 ROBERT c. marinara, or CLEVELAND, onro COOLING AND. nrsrnnsrne APPARATUS Application filed May 6, 1929. Serial No. 360,718.

The present invention appertains to cooling and dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to fountains and coolers for dispensing soda water and ice cream, and/or other 5 beverages and edibles which must be maintained and dispensed in a cold or cool state. In general my aim isto provide a chambered structure having inner and outer walls made of sheet metal and sub-divided in a particular way into separate refrigerating chambers and goods holding compartments to permit various kinds of beverages and edible articles to be kept-therein and conveniently dispensed at different predetermined temperatures, all as hereinafter shown and described and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top view on a small scale of a cooling and dispensing apparatus embodying my invention, and Fig. 2a front viewthereof,portions of thewall being broken away to show the internal construction. Fig. 3 is a top view of the base section with everything else above line 33of Fig.4 removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical section longitudinally through the structure on line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section "transversely through the structure on line 5 '5 -of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 a similar view on line 66 of Fig. 1.

, Structurally, the apparatus comprises a chamb'ered'and compartmented base section A, and two separate upper sections B and C respectively, nested or seated jointly within the top of base section'A, whichis a rectangular bOX OI tank having side, end, and bottom walls constructed of sheet metal, wood and cork. Thus, the main outer wall 2 of this box or tank is made of galvanizedslieet metal to giverigidity and strength to the structure, and the innerface of wall 2 is linedwith heavysheetsor strips3 of paper treated or coated with moisture proof "materials. A layer 4 of cork, of substantial thickness, is built up neXtjto'the paper lining, and this layer is completely enclosed by a second sheetmetal wall 5 made of plated copper of thinner gauge than the galvanized sheet metal wall 2. Accordingly base section A may be said to be composed of an outer metal shell 2, and an inner metal shell 3 with a thin lining of moisture proof paper and a heavy layer of cork. In addition, a heavy plate 6 of galvanized sheet iron is seated upon the 'bottomlayer 4 of cork to re-enforce the thin inner bottom made of copper, and a division wall 7 made of sheet metal and cork extends transversely across base section A about mid-length thereof to brace the structure and divide its interior into two main chambers 8 and 9, respectively, see Fig. 4.

The top of base section A is recessed to seat the upper sections B and G, and to promote that purpose and provide a rigid and strong construction as well as to simplify the building of the structure, I provide a wooden border frame D of right-angular cross-section, comprising a horizontal piece 10 extending inwardly and a vertical piece 11 extending upwardly. Thus in constructing the base section the inner metal wall 5 is flanged outwardly to overlap and rest upon horizontal piece 10, and the outer metal wall 2 is turnedinwardly and downwardly over the top edge and inner face of vertical piece 11 to provide a re-enforced border portion within which the upper sections B and C may be seated above chambers 8 and 9 in base section A. The flanges 2" and 5 of the metal-walls 2 and 5 respectively, are purposely spaced apart to provide a fro-st insulating gap between them, whereby moisture andfrost on inner wall 5 are prevented from spreading to outer wall 2. This cold break or insulating space extends completely around the border recess within the top of base section A. Chambers 8 and 9 are each divided by metal walls into separate compartments to hold the goods to be dispensed and also to confine a liquid refrigerant and refrigerating appliances to keep the goods at different predetermined low temperatures. Thus, referring to chamber 8 at the left of division wall 7 the outer end of this chamber is separated by a vertical division wall 12 to provide a narrow compartment 14 adapted to hold a liquid refrigerant within which a refrigerating unit E is sub-merged. The head 15 of the unit to which the circulating pipes 16 for the refrigerant is attached, is secured to cross wall 12 and exposed within the receiving compartment 17 for the goods. This compartment 17 is subdivided at its middle by a perforated wall 18, and is entirely open in the absence of the upper covering sections B and G. However, a series of openings 19 and removable covers 20 therefor, see Figs. 1 and 4, afiord convenient access to the compartments and the goods therein, usually bottled beverages which must be kept at a palatable drinking temperature. The body of liquid within compartment 14 is therefore maintained at a given temperature by the refrigerating unit E, which is connected to an automatic refrigerating system, as commonly;

An auxiliary cooling device in the form of a circulating coil or pipe F is also employed within chamber 8 so that control of the temperature therein is not entirely dependent upon refrigerating unit E. Thus, a number of separate taps or faucets 21 are mounted upon section C of the apparatus, which faucets are connected to independent sources of supply by separate pipes 22 extending horizontally through chamber 8 and thence clownwardly through the refrigerating liquid within compartment 14 and out of the end of base section A, see Fig. 4. The operation of refrigerating. unit E is therefore affected by the withdrawal of beverages from the taps or faucets and also by opening the covers 20 of chamber 8 and the deposit of goods therein. The auxilliary cooling device F therefore relieves the double load, and too frequent or constant operations of the refrigerating appliances is avoided.

The cooling coil or pipe F is located in chamber 8, and has separate inlet and out let terminals 23 and 24, respectively at different levels extending through division wall 7 in open communication with liquid chamher 9, wherein a second refrigerating unit G is submerged within a body of liquid such as brine, calcium chloride, or other suitable aqueous solutions. Lower temperatures are desired within the end of base section A, and to gain that end refrigerating unit G is set and operated for such lower temperatures.

Therefore, the temperature of the large body of solution within chamber 9 is always much lower than the temperature of chamber 8, and this solution may be utilized to augment the cooling action of the first unit F and thereby affect its intermittent operations advantageously as described.

Chamber 9 at the right of division wall 7 is also subdivided into separate compartments but in a different way than chamber 8. Thus, chamber 9 is a covered and sealed chamber, and compartments 24 therein are separate sheet metal containers which are open at their upper ends and closed at their hottoms 25 to seat upon the wall 2 forming the bottom of the inner box or tank which rests on metal plate 6, see Fig. 3. The top of chamber 9 is closed and sealed by a plate 26, and section B is seated upon this top and provided with openings 27 in register with or opposite the open tops of the compartments or containers 24. Removable covers 28 are seated within the openings 27 in top section B which may be termed a shelf section inasmuch as it extends horizontally over base section A for a substantial distance, but not completely.

Thus, a narrow portion 29 of the metal plate 26 which seals or closes the top of liquid chamber 9 is exposed beyond one edge of shelf section B, and the upright section C occupies the balance of the space adjacent shelf section B within the top recess in base section A. The purpose of this arrangement is to utilize an elongated area of the top of chamber 9 for cooling the interior space 30 within the upright section C. This section has an upwardly-inclined wall 31 overhanging shelf section B, and an opening 32 borders the top edge of this inclined wall 31 to permit a series of syrup receptacles H to be remo'vably suspended in an inclined p-ositi'on therein. Receptacles 'H include syrup dispensing pumps P. Only moderate cooling results are desired for the syrup in the dispensing receptacles H, and for that reason section C is formed with a straight seating extension 33 having a thin metal bottom 34 adapted to rest upon or contact with the metal top portion 29 of liquid chamber 9. The remaining walls of upright section (J are made of wood and cork faced with sheet metal, and therefore all wall portions of section C but the thin bottom '34 are effectually insulated. A filling opening 35 (covered by a removable cap '36) is also provided within bottom 34 and the top plate 26 above and for chamber 9-, see Fig. 6. Cap 36 may be reached and removed when the receptacle H above the same is removed.

Referring now to the separate compartments or containers 24 surrounded by brine in chamber 9, a row of such compartments is provided and the refrigerating unit G placed adjacent the last compartment 24 in the row to keep that compartment at a much lower temperature than the other compartments in the apparatus, whereby certain kinds of goods, such as brick ice cream, may be kept in its original congealed state. Each of the compartments 24 are of oval form in cross section and adapted to hold cans I of ice cream in bulk.

The inner walls of the openings '27 in shelf section B for the covers 28 are lined with insulating materials, such as bakelite, to pre vent accumulation of frost thereon. The

rear metal wall 2 of base section A is lined outside as well as inside with insulating paper 37, and a supplemental sheet metal plate 38 is placed over this paper lining. Plate 38 is preferably enameled and possesses a fiat smooth surface extending without a break to the bottom of base section A to prevent drippings from accumulating thereon. The rear wall and plate 38 are also provided with openings 39 and removable cover plates 40 to give access to the pipes 16 and 41 for the refrigerating units F and G, and a longitudinal conduit 42 is also formed in rear wall 2 of base section A to enclose and conceal the pipes 41 except where they project through one end wall of said base section A, see Fig. 2.

A work board and sink J is shown at one end of section A, but this additional part may or may not be used, although usually included when the apparatus is built up or enclosed within a counter K.

lNhat I claim, is:

A cooling and dispensing apparatus, comprising a base section including two nested sheet metal shells insulated from each other and divided into separate goods and brine chambers, a plurality of individual refrigerating evaporators, one for each of said chambers, an auxiliary cooling device, associated with said brine chamber extending into said goods chamber, pipe connections for each of said refrigerating evaporators and a conduit for said pipe connections extending lengthwise of one wall of said outer shell and com municating with said refrigerating evaporator, said refrigerating evaporator in said brine chamber being set for substantially lower temperatures than said refrigerating evaporator in said goods chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK T. WIECHERT. 

